


The Moment After Next

by Tabithian



Series: These Things I've Found [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse, Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-09
Updated: 2012-09-09
Packaged: 2017-11-13 20:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tam doesn't ask for things like this, for favors, often. She has no problem in voicing her opinion, issuing orders, or outright bullying him when she thinks it's necessary, but asking for a  favor? Extremely rare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Moment After Next

"Tim? 

Tim looks up from where he's - Fine. He's not working on some diabolical scheme, or even looking over vital reports for Drake Industries. 

"Justice!"

The apologetic look on Tam's face for interrupting him is replaced by a knowing smile. "And here people say you don't know how to have fun."

"How is this even so addictive?" Tim asks, staring down at his tablet. “They're animated bats." 

It's been a long day and Tim is dealing with his annoyance and frustration in a healthy, constructive way by flinging little animated bats at badly made buildings. Mr. Whiskers is curled up by his feet, the deep rumble of his purring a steady, calming sound. (Tim's long given up wondering how he finds his way down to his office from the penthouse.)

Tam makes a thoughtful noise. "Well, you could always suit up with Pru and play with the real deal."

Pru gets...bored when they're not in the middle of a plan or scheme or fending off attacks from other supervillains. Playing with the Bats and Birds is the safer, if not saner, option than starting a war with someone because it's a slow night. 

"Right," Tim says. “Although something tells me Bruce might not be so accommodating." Dick, however.

"I have a request."

"A request."

Tam makes a face, sinking into the chair across from Tim. "A favor, all right? I need a favor."

Tim closes his game of _Angry Bats_ , the small cries for justice and Red Hood's demented laughter are distracting at best. And don't lend themselves well to serious discussion. "What do you need?"

Tam doesn't ask for things like this, for favors, often. She has no problem in voicing her opinion, issuing orders, or outright bullying him when she thinks it's necessary, but asking for a favor? Extremely rare.

"Harper Row," Tam says, sliding her own tablet over. The face looking up at him is vaguely familiar, and as he starts to read the file on her he knows why

"She was at Bruce's gala a few weeks ago, wasn't she? Won a raffle?"

Tam waves a hand, taking her tablet back. "Something like that, but that's not why I'm interested in bringing her on board." Tam looks up at him, eyebrows quirked.

That. It's always a risk bringing someone in on their side of things, the side that involves Bats and Birds and the occasional supervillain monologue, although Tim tries to avoid that trap. He's seen what can happen.

"Tam - "

"She found the Bat-boxes, Tim." Tam brings something up on her tablet and pushes it back to him with a picture of one of Bruce's Bat-boxes minus its cover front and center. The only thing is that it isn't one of his normal Bat-boxes, is it? "She _upgraded_. them."

Bruce must have loved that. "Which means Bruce is most likely keeping a close eye on her." It's only paranoia if they aren't out to get you, a policy Bruce has taken and made entirely his own. 

"Exactly."

Why does he do this? Surround himself with people who are, if possible, even more lacking in self-preservation instincts than they claim he is. People who seem to have the Bat-related equivalent of a deathwish.

"He's still upset I managed to get you on my side." To put it mildly. "I don't think he'll be happy if we steal her out from under his nose."

Like that would stop Tim. Like it had stopped him from taking Pru from Ra's, a far more deadly enemy than Bruce would ever be, if not as dangerous. 

Tam sits back, perfect posture, one eyebrow raised. "He'll squander her, Tim. If he ever does let her in on his 'crusade,'" " Tam actually uses air quotes, "He'll waste her potential." 

To keep her safe, Tim knows, or try to at any rate. Because Bruce lost a Robin once already, and he would have lost another in Steph if Tim and his people hadn't stepped in. And even if he doesn't waste her potential, it's _Bruce_. 

A good man, undoubtedly, but his Mission and his dedication to it has left him with enormous...blind spots, to put it one way.

"You're assuming she'll want anything to do with us." 

If she upgraded the Bat-boxes for Bruce, it's a good bet she won't be keen on joining their side. And it's not like they can just go around killing people who find out about them and don't want to join up. (It would bring the Bats and Birds down on them for one thing, but more than that, it's a waste of life, potential.)

"Leave that one to me," Tam says.

Tim shakes his head, and brings up Harper's picture. “Take Pru with you when you talk her.”

“What? Tim, she's not - “

“Not for that,” Tim says, looking up at Tam. “Seeing Pru might set her at ease.” He smiles, crooked, and holds up his tie, a tastefully understated navy, Nightwing symbols in a slightly darker shade scattered across it. He flicks a hand towards Tam, flawlessly put together. “I doubt she'd have much use for the two of us.”

Well, that, and he has a feeling Tam wants to go to Harper on her own turf. Tim would feel much, much better knowing Pru was with her, even though Tam's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. (In this regard, at least - keeping the people important to them safe - Bruce and Tim can both agree.) 

“Fine. But Tim? She'll be working for me.” 

There's a certain tone Tam gets sometimes. The one she uses when she thinks Tim's making a mistake, or thinks he's being particularly dense. It's one Tim's learned to sit up and take notice at, the one he knows means business, means she won't take no for an answer. The one she's using now.

He wasn't expecting anything else, really. "Just. Let me know if I need to expect a visit from Bruce."

He'll get one anyway, because it's Bruce and he's territorial and always, always, far too intense. Tim will need to feed Venus and Serena earlier than usual if he doesn't want them trying to take a chunk out of Bruce. (As amusing that would be to watch, Bruce isn't attached to them the way Tim is, and he'd rather not have to explain to Ivy how they met their demise. Or try to talk her out of exacting revenge for the flytraps.)

The look Tam gives him for that says she's every bit aware of that as he is. “You won't regret this, Tim."

"Famous last words," Tim reminds her, but he doesn't mean it and she knows it. 

*******

The visit from Bruce goes almost exactly the way Tim expected, with the added bonus of Venus taking a bite out of his cape.

“Your mistake,” Tim says, tapping her lower jaw to get her to release the scrap of material. “You got too close.” Bruce knows better.

Bruce growls and absolutely does _not_ flounce away in a dramatic manner. Damian lingers a moment longer, running a gloved hand over the top of Venus' head, the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. Tim swears he hears him say, “Good girl,” before he, too, makes a dramatic and mysterious exit.

“You'd think they'd be in theater,” Pru mutters, melting out of the shadows. 

“Who says they aren't?” Tim asks, because really, it's just fun poking at Pru, and the Bats like this. “I think Bruce would make a fantastic Mr. Mushnik.”

“You're sick, Boss. Sick.”

“Thanks, I think.”

********

Tim never doubted Tam would be able to win Harper over, but.

“Uh. Sorry?”

The young man standing in the doorway to Tim's office looks painfully out of place. More than that, though, it's that he knows he looks that way. “I was looking for my sister, she's with Tam Fox?”

Tim blinks, confusion vanishing. “Tam's office is two doors down that way,” Tim says, pointing. He smiles, hoping it will soothe some of Cullen's nervousness. “You must be Cullen, she's talked about you.”

From the frozen look of horror on Cullen's face, he wasn't expecting that. “Um?”

“Lies!” Cullen blurts out, stepping into Tim's office, and shutting the door behind him. “Filthy, filthy lies!”

That's. Hm. “The two of you are very close, aren't you?” Tim asks, smiling. He's had that sort of reaction enough when it comes to Tam to know it when he see it in others.

“What?”

“Have a seat,” Tim says, because it looks like Cullen needs it. “I'm sure the two of them are still plotting how best to overthrow me, so they'll be a while.”

Cullen makes his way to the chair opposite Tim, dropping heavily into it and. Stares at Tim. “I'm sure they'd never do that,” he says, letting Tim know with the tone of his voice and unsteady smile that he has no doubt they are planning Tim's downfall that very minute and is very sorry about that.

“Of course they wouldn't,” Tim says.

Cullen keeps staring.

When it looks like that's all he's going to be doing, Tim sends Tam an e-mail to let her know where Cullen is, and goes back to his reports. 

********

“So. We meet again.”

Tim raises an eyebrow. “Indeed we do, Mr. Row,” he says, recognizing his cue when he sees it. 

He's never actually met another supervillain who's used those exact words, but he understands the need to say them.

Cullen grins, bright and cheerful and pushes the door to Tim's office open a little wider. He's carrying coffee, which Tim always appreciates, and a folder under one arm, which Tim is less happy about.

Somehow - Tam and Pru, with Harper's encouragement Tim's sure - Cullen has become his new personal assistant. He brings Tim coffee and danishes and also, unfortunately, work. 

It was apparent not that long after Cullen started working for him that he had a crush on Tim, which while flattering, was also completely unfair on Tam and Harper's parts.

“Oh, I know,” Cullen says, when Tim says as much to him, fingers tapping nervously on Tim’s desk. Tim takes a drink of his coffee – perfect, just the way he likes it. 

“They think it might make certain people more,” he makes a face, like he thinks it’s stupid, “‘attentive’, is the word they used, I think.”

Tim stares at him. “What?”

Cullen looks around to make sure no one’s looking, and who knows, really. Tim didn’t do his daily sweep for Oracle’s surveillance devices yet. He didn't see the point, as he didn't have anything nefarious planned, just going over Drake Industries reports and all the fun that entails.

When he’s satisfied no one’s watching, Cullen leans in, lowering his voice to just above a whisper, “Ightwingnay.”

Tim’s staring at him. Pig Latin, _really_?

“I think I’m going to have to talk to Tam and Harper about this.” It’s one thing to mock Tim and his terrible life choices, but this? This is something else.

“Sorry,” Cullen says, apologetically. “Not like I had a lot of choice in the matter.”

Tim knows how that is, especially now that Tam has Harper to egg her on. As if she didn't get into enough trouble with just Pru. “I could get you a job somewhere else in the company?” Tim offers, because really, this isn’t fair on Cullen. 

“I’d rather stay where I am, if that’s not a problem, I mean?”

“If you don't have a problem with it, I don't.” Tim says. “And honestly, you're the only one who's ever gotten my coffee right.”

******** 

It isn't as though Nightwing, Dick, has been avoiding him, it's just. They're incredibly busy, and some things. They just fall to the side.

He's a superhero, Tim's a supervillain, and even though Tim's less supervillain than he likes to think he is, they aren't exactly on the same side. Dick has other duties, Gotham, Bludhaven, and every so often the world itself, to deal with. He has to balance his civilian life with his superhero life, and considering what his civilian identity is, it's not as easy as it sounds. As if it does sound easy.

And Tim. Tim has Gotham and even more rarely than Dick, the world to consider. He has things to balance – alliances and truces with other supervillains and superheros. Managing Drake Industries, even with Tam and the other handful of people he trusts.

So when Tim goes up to the penthouse, Mr. Whiskers trotting along at his heels, he's a little surprised to find Dick waiting for him. He should have picked up on something like this, though, when Pru excused herself at the penthouse floor, flashing him a little smirk as she left.

Mr. Whiskers lets out an annoyed little meow when it becomes apparent that Tim's going to be a while with Dick, and abandons him in favor of his food waiting for him in the kitchen.

“Dick?”

He's still wearing the Nightwing suit, but the domino's gone, tossed onto the coffee table, discarded.

The body language, when he unfolds himself, walks over to Tim is all Nightwing. Tim backs up, not wary so much as...cautious. He's not afraid of Dick. He's never been afraid of him, but he's no idiot either. People know about them, people who wouldn't mind if something happened to either one of them. People who would _pay_ good money for something to happen to either one of them.

Dick's eyes narrow.

“Dick.”

He keeps coming, backing Tim up against a wall, hands coming up on either side of his face. “Tim.”

That. That sounds like Dick, his Dick. Not Nightwing, and not some kind of mind control or the effects of a toxin or pollen. (Ivy's sworn to leave the Bats and Birds alone as long as they return the favor, but there are always exceptions. Extenuating circumstances.)

“Babs showed me the video footage.”

Tim frowns. “Of?”

“Your new assistant,” Dick says, a bit of a whine entering his voice. 

Things are beginning to click in Tim's head, like the tumblers of a lock falling into place, _clickclickclick_. “Cullen?” 

Dick _growls_ , low in his throat, which is apparently some kind of Bat trait, and crowds Tim against the wall. “That's his name? Tim, the way he was looking at you, I just,” Dick's words trail off in another whine.

And, oh, this is. This is hilarious in all the best ways. Some of the worst, too, but. “Wow,” Tim says,eyebrows raised. “I didn’t expect you to fall for it.”

“You didn’t expect me to fall for what?” Dick asks, pulling back a little, suspicion in his voice. Like he thinks Tim might have gotten another of his truly “evil and despicable” schemes past him. (Ah, Bruce and his melodramatic ways.)

Tim doesn't actually have those kind of schemes, is the thing. He doesn't go in for wanton destruction or pointless murder and mayhem. They're too messy, ugly, and they wouldn't fix things, fix Gotham anyway. 

This, though. Tim just smirks at him because he kind of likes this side of Dick. Oh, not the jealously, no. Or at least not the part that has Dick feeling hurt and insecure, worried, but this? Dick getting riled up like this? He's quickly becoming a fan.

“Interesting,” Tim says, and maybe if Dick wasn't pressed up against him like this, he'd be doing the patented supervillain move of steepling his fingers – always a classic. “I think raises all around are in order.” (Or if not raises, then at least a hefty bonus.)

“You’re not making any sense,” Dick says, faintly amused in spite of himself.

“I don’t really need to,” Tim says, raising his hands to flatten them against Dick's chest. “Supervillain, remember?”

Dick rolls his eyes because, _right_. He's another one in the camp of Tim not being the supervillain he likes to make himself out to be. He backs off, grabbing Tim by his wrist, and tugging him him toward the bedroom.

“Hey - “

Dick looks over his shoulder at him, eyebrows going up. “Are you really going to argue?”

Well, no, but - 

“Tim.”

“Just. No hickeys above the collar, I have a meeting tomorrow.”

He catches the edge of Dick's smirk when he turns away. The one that means he's not listening at all to Tim. “No hickeys above the collar, got it.”

Feeling a smile steal its way across his face, Tim lets Dick pull him along behind him, thinking about adding extra vacation time to the bonus for Tam and the others for a job well done.


End file.
